Urinary catheters are highly associated with urinary tract infections (UTIs) and the widespread use of urinary catheterization in hospitals and long-term care facilities is believed to be one of the most common causes of health care-associated infections. Urinary catheter-associated bacteriuria accounts up to 80% of urinary tract infections (UTI) and is a common infection related to medical devices in hospitals and long-term care facilities. Every year, more than 25% of patients treated with urinary catheters suffer from catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CA-UTI). The colonization of urinary catheters by uropathogenic organisms by formation of biofilms is a main cause of the onset of UTIs.
Biofilms are organized multicellular communities of bacteria attached to a surface and embedded in a protective polymer matrix. The biofilm phenotype is a ubiquitous characteristic of bacteria that constitutes a protected growth mode to facilitate survival of the bacteria in hostile environments. Biofilms provide increased resistance to host defenses and antimicrobials. Consequently, infections involving biofilms are notoriously difficult to treat and commonly manifest as chronic or recurrent infections. Current antibiotic agents often fail to halt biofilm formation and may potentiate the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Disruptive technologies are urgently needed to offer alternative treatments that inhibit biofilm formation processes such as compositions and methods to reduce or inhibit bacterial adhesion and the formation of biofilms.